Recalling Memories of the Past
by Jade Opal
Summary: JayneOC. Follow the journey of a reader/assassin on adventures on board 'Serenity'. Takes places prior to the series and continues onto post-movie. Please Read and Review Reposting of story. Sorry if I had deleted this by accident.
1. Introduction

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _Firefly_, for that's the genius idea of Joss Whedon. (Genius!) I only own Cassie.**

_**Chapter 1: Introduction**_

Malcolm Reynolds was not an easy man to please…nor was he one to be taken by surprise. In fact, he never even mentioned about his life on Shadows, where he was raised by his ma and the handful of ranch hands…well, no one expected this to occur…

"KAYLEE!!!!!" the Captain of the Firefly class transport _Serenity_ cried out from the cargo bay. "Where is that nu hai [girl] at? KAYLEE!!!!!!"

While Mal was screaming for Kaylee, Zoe was coming down the stairs from the cockpit. The first mate sighed as she shook her head.

"She's out in town, getting the parts needed for the ship, sir. She's been out for a half hour," the dark-skinned gun woman told Mal.

"Oh…well, is there anyone to help me out with the gorram ship then?" the 30-something vet said to Zoe.

"She'll be back in no time, sir."

"Whatever you say, Zo…just get the crew up and running when they get back," Mal said as he went through the infirmary to reach the common room.

Zoe shook her head again as she went to organize the cargo hold for new supplies. She managed to get one box out of the way before she spotted a curious person standing at the bottom of the ramp.

"Need something?" Zoe inquired, wondering what the person was doing.

"I'm looking for a Captain Reynolds. Heard that he might be here…" the person replied.

Zoe took in the appearance of this person: they had on a red jacket that stopped at the waist, tan pants that was like a second skin to the person, a white wife beater that suggested that this person was female, brown boots that looked a bit cowboyish to Zoe, and brown fingerless gloves. The person's hair, however, was a different matter, for it seemed to match Mal's hair a bit, except for the red highlights to the somewhat dark brown hair.

"Not his wife by any chance…?" Zoe asked, a well-manicured eyebrow arched in confusion.

"What? No, no…not married…just looking for Capt. Reynolds is all," the woman replied back, noting Zoe's confusion fairly easy. "You're Zoe, right? Malcolm's first mate?"

"Yes…and may I ask as to how you—" Zoe was in mid-question before Mal returned to the cargo hold.

"Zoe! Thought you were—hello. Are you looking for someone?" Mal said before realizing the newcomer.

"Mal…this nu hai was looking for you," Zoe said, not taking her eyes off the woman.

Zoe was confused, now that the woman mentioned that she knew Zoe…where did she meet this woman—during the war? Maybe perhaps…

"Mal…don't you even recognize your own sister?" the woman asked. "I mean, it's been, what, three years since you last seen me and all…" she added as she ran a tanned hand through her hair.

Mal's blue eyes widen a bit before he spoke, but it seemed a bit more of prideful than anything else.

"Wo hen hao xi zhou ma [Well, I'll be damned]. It's been too long since you've shown your face around," Mal said as he gave his signature smirk. "Whatcha been up to lately?"

"Oh, the tong chang [usual]: robbing from the rich, giving to the person with the highest payroll the 'verse can offer me," the woman replied with her own.

Zoe never had been more confused than she did that day. She was about to ask Mal who the woman was before the woman looked at Zoe with lavender eyes peeking out from underneath a red-layered strand of hair.

"Zo, it's me…Cassie Phoenix…remember?"

Zoe's mind clicked then. She recalled a woman named Cassie Phoenix just a month before the Battle of Serenity Valley. She smiled a little as she nodded her head.

"I remember you now. Didn't you have longer hair and it wasn't as red as it is?"

"Oh, you mean zhe? Just something I sported about yi ge ban shu nian qian [a half year ago]…Believe me, I wasn't expecting to have to had cut my hair into a buzz cut in order to sneak into a shu ji di qiu [core planet]. The Alliance still believes of me dead and I rather hang low under their radars," Cassie said as she cracked her knuckles. "Wasn't easy to part with my long hair, but I figured that my hair'll grow back to its original length, but this suits me just xuan [fine]."

"It suits you better, mei mei. It suits you better," Zoe stated to Cassie.

"So…it's just you two on _Serenity_? No pilot or mechanic?"

"No; both are in town. We even got us a hired hand too…" Mal replied to his sister's question.

"Guo zhen [Really]? Smuggling's gone that dangerous for you two alone?"

"Just to aid us…"

"Wo du [I see]. I was hoping if you needed another able hand on board the old gal. Been looking for work for a while now," Cassie said as she went to retrieve her bag from the other side of the ramp.

"You've been looking for work for yi ge que [a while]? How were you able to—?" Zoe asked.

"Friends helped me out. In return of lodging, I did small chores around their place. Right now, I'm ready for a bian hua de feng jing [change of scenery]."

"Guess I can put you to work then. Doesn't mean that it's—" Mal said.

"Dong ma [I understand], no free passage. I got money to pay ya…not enough, but I can work the rest of it off," Cassie said as she gave Zoe the money.

"And you trust her with it?"

"At least she's not going to use it for cheap purchases…it's for the ship, ge ge."

"Welcome aboard _Serenity_, Cassie," Zoe said as she had Cassie help her out with the boxes in the cargo hold.

* * *

A/N: I had to redone this story a bit. Apparently, I was going back to my earlier days of fanficion writing, so I went back and really redid this chapter. Next chapter's when the rest of the crew will meet Cassie, except for Simon and River Tam, Inara, and Shepard Book. I have a chapter of their meeting Cassie later on.


	2. You IDGIT!

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _Firefly_, for that's the genius idea of Joss Whedon. (Genius!) I only own Cassie.**

_**Chapter 2: "You IDGIT!!!!!"**_

Kaylee and Wash returned with Jayne in tow about an hour later. All three were carrying bags and small boxes from their shopping spree in town.

"I swear, by the wo baba de mu xue [my father's grave], if you ever drag me into town again, girl…" Jayne complained.

"Hey, it was fun! Besides, you helped us out, Jayne…not our fault that Mal sent you with us in the first place," Wash said as the three went up the ramp.

"Well, if I had known, I would had stayed—" Jayne said before he collided with a well-endowed butt to his side. "What the—"

"Oh! Pardon me…just getting this out of…the…way…" Cassie said as she turned to apologize to whomever she bumped into to find Jayne there. "Great ma de zhen zhu [mother of pearl]. What are you doing here?" Cassie's attitude changed upon seeing the mercenary.

"What am I doing here? What are _YOU_ doing here, you heartless bitch?" Jayne replied in equal anger to the younger woman.

"Do you two know each other?" Wash asked, now a bit confused with the exchange.

"Know him? Why, I dated the bastard a li bai [week] before the Battle of Serenity. Hell, even the lay wasn't that great back then…" Cassie fired off without much of a care as far as thinking.

"Bastard, you say? If I recalled correctly, didn't the Alliance hire some ruthless assassins to take out the Independents?" Jayne replied again without stopping to show any interest to the confusion on both Kaylee and Wash's face.

"Enough—Jayne, you got something to say to her, you bring it up to the captain. She's been hired to help out for a while," Zoe said as she stood overlooking the cargo bay.

"Gorram stupid bitch…" Jayne muttered as he stormed off to the common room.

"Well…that was interesting…so, I take it that you and Jayne know each other?" Wash asked as soon as Jayne was out of hearing range.

"Yeah…so, what's new with you, Kaylee? Been into a lot of bo [fights] with wo gege?" Cassie said as she picked up a big box that contained her gun ware.

"Wait…your brother? You mean, Mal's your brother?" Wash asked once he was able to put two and two together.

"Yes, Hoban Washborne. Malcolm Reynolds and I are related to each other…isn't that just awful," Cassie said as she pretended to be over-dramatic with her statement.

"What's wrong with being related to me?" Mal asked from behind Cassie.

Cassie jumped from being startled and nearly dumped the box on Mal's foot.

"Er zi de mu gou [Son of a bitch]! Malcolm Reynolds, you should know damn well how skittish I've become as of late, you freaking idgit…" Cassie said as she turned around and stared down at her older brother.

"Like I can keep track of that notion, mei-mei. Now, if you're all done chit-chatting, we have a job to do," Mal said as he got Wash, Kaylee, and Cassie working to get _Serenity_ up in the air.

* * *

A/N: The second chapter that had to be redone. Once again, I apologized if you were reading this before and I accidently deleted it. The next chapter will have Inara being introduced to Cassie. Also, see if you spot the _Supernatural_ reference here.


	3. Facades

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _Firefly_, for that's the genius idea of Joss Whedon. (Genius!) I only own Cassie.**

_**Chapter 3: Facades  
**_

Inara had just arrived back to _Serenity_ after her usual job that Companions were custom to have every now and then. She shut down her shuttle that she rented from Mal and sighed as she prepared to get hit with Mal's usual bashings of whores and whatnot. She walked into the cargo bay and was surprised to see a face she had not seen since she was in the Training House. Cassie was just finishing up with the last of her chores when she lifted her lavender eyes and saw the registered companion staring back at her.

"Hi, 'Nara…what's new in your end of the 'verse?" Cassie asked with a hint of a smile in her words.

"Good, nothing much that I can complain. I'm surprised that you're back. Thought Mal scared you away for good…"

"Nah…took me awhile and believe me, it ain't easy to get around Alliance without having my face seen twice in one place in a short amount of time," Cassie said as she ran a hand through her hair.

"You cut your hair…I liked it long."

"Yeah…I had a gig in an Alliance prison, so I had to buzz my head. Believe me, I blended in REAL WELL. But, it's getting back to that length I wanted, Inara."

Inara smiled a little. She knew that Cassie preferred some length to her hair, that way she could style it real well.

"But, this style is perfect for me to not tie my hair up all the time," the brunette added.

"Can't say that you don't look good with short hair, Cass."

Cassie then let out a small laugh, something that Inara hadn't heard in a while. She smiled just as Jayne entered the cargo bay with noodles in his mouth.

"Hello, Jayne," Cassie said grimly just as Jayne was in her peripheral vision.

"Bitch," the mercenary said under his breath.

"Jerk."

"Witch."

"Whore."

"Slut."

"Wuss."

"Pushover."

Inara sighed as she watched Jayne and Cassie get in each other's faces. She managed to leave the room as the two continued to call each other names.

"You can't even be in the same room as the one that you're hired to kill," Jayne said as he got Cassie to a wall.

"And, you're not capable to be trustworthy with your employer. You can't even keep your hands to yourself when money's involved with the bribe," Cassie argued back as she poked her finger at Jayne's chest.

Jayne, getting all the more frustrated, slammed both hands on either side of Cassie's head on the wall. This got Cassie to shut up quickly and her eyes started to get a little unnerved being in where she was in now. Cassie could smell the musk coming from Jayne's stature and she nearly felt lightheaded from the scent. Jayne, on the other hand, refrained himself from giving into his desire to have Cassie right then and there.

"Oh Jayne…you shouldn't have left your guard down…why not act on your impulses instead of holding back?" Cassie taunted as soon as she got the thought in her mind.

Before Cassie could taunt some more, Jayne slammed his lips onto hers, leaving no room for Cassie to say her objections. Cassie wrapped her legs around his waist automatically as Jayne forced Cassie's back further into the wall. A soft mew of pain crept from Cassie's throat, making Jayne smile all the more internally. Just as soon as the passion started, Cassie pushed Jayne away a little, creating a space between the two of them. Both were panting for air, the adrenaline rush slowly down gradually.

"God, I missed that…" Cassie said with a small giggle.

"Man…if I had known, baby…" Jayne added with a smile.

Cassie laid her forehead against Jayne's and closed her eyes.

"Remember the incident in the shower?" Cassie asked, not opening her eyes.

Jayne nodded his head. He clearly remembered that day. He had never had sex in the shower before Cassie. Afterwards, he had really enjoyed sex with Cassie, who was very adventurous having sex in random places and times during the time they had dated before his discovery of her line of work.

"So…I guess that we have to keep up the façade with everyone else, huh?" Cassie asked, snapping Jayne back from his memories.

"Guess so…easy to play the bastard to ya," Jayne said as he helped Cassie back on her feet. "And, I bet that you don't mind playing out the bitch around the crew," he added as he lightly ran his calloused fingers through her short layered hair.

Jessie smiled as she allowed her mind to run freely in Jayne's head. Jayne's steel blue eyes locked with lavender eyes as he took in the images she was projecting into his mind.

"You dirty little girl…" Jayne said as he chuckled. "wo ai ni, xin ai [I love you, beloved]."

"Wo ai ni, qing ren [I love you, lover]," Cassie replied back, leaving Jayne with a peck on his lips. "I'll see you in a bit…oh…I almost forgot…" Cassie added before throwing a slap across Jayne's cheek. "To make it convincing."

Jayne laughed lightly as he nodded his head.

"I'll follow ya in a minute," Jayne said as he watched his little minx leave the cargo bay in a huff. "She hasn't changed a bit…" he added under his breath as he got into his role of being the bastard he is.

Once he left did Mal emerged from the shadowed part of the balcony above the cargo bay. He shook his head as he sighed to himself.

* * *

A/N: two chapters in one day! ok, who didn't see that coming? well...I did. but, Mal knows of this...will he encounter his younger mei-mei or the hired hand about this 'hidden' relationship? you'll never know.


	4. Cassie's secret

**DISCLAIMER: I don't know _Firefly_, for that's the genius idea of Joss Whedon. (Genius!) I only own Cassie.**

_**Chapter 4: Cassie's secret  
**_

Mal was sitting in the cockpit later that night, being the only one that was up for the graveyard shift onboard _Serenity_. He was starting to drift to sleep when a blanket was wrapped around his shoulders. He looked up to find his sister there with a hot mug of whatever in one hand and something wrapped up in her other hand.

"Thought you wanted something to eat while you were here," Cassie said as she put the two items down away from any major controls on the control panel.

"Xiexie, mei-mei," Mal said as he sat up on the chair a bit straighter than before. "You wanna tell me something you're not sharing with the rest of us, 'Sandra?"

Cassie stared down at the floor. Only Mal called her that when he saw something he didn't like that she did. Sighing, Cassie took the other available seat across from Mal. Staring out into space, she sighed again before she spoke.

"I'm to report back on Persephone in a week's time. So much for me taking a small vacation from the Guild..." Cassie said as she ran a hand through her hair. "Apparently, they need someone more you jing yan [experienced] than the one they have already there..."

"Experienced in what way...?" Mal asked as he took a sip of the contents in the mug...it was coffee, just the way Mal liked it.

"Gathering Intel for the Guild in regards to the Alliance's move on smugglers like us," Cassie replied as the older Reynolds looked at his younger sibling.

"Nothing about you and Jayne at all then?"

Cassie's vibrant lavender eyes looked over at the tone of the question. She narrowed them a bit to where they were slits, piercing a glance so strong that Mal thought the room got a bit colder.

"What goes on between me and Cobb has nothing to do with my assignment. Believe me, there are things I bury deep in my liang xin [conscience] that you have no idea what I carry in the depths of my mind, Malcolm. And one of them is how I live my love life. I could say the same for you and 'Nara too, but I'm better than to question it, ge-ge," Cassie said, her words carried a bit of venom in them.

'Apparently there _**was**_ something going on between Jayne and Cassie,' Mal thought to himself as he dismissed the idea from his mind.

"Then I apologize, mei-mei. Just wanted to make sure that you're not here to ruin us."

"Now, why would I do that if I'm one of the two owners of _Serenity_? If I wasn't, that's a different story for a different day. But you should know better, since I paid for her with money I had."

And with that, Cassie got up to her feet and walked out of the cockpit.

'So much for trying to get along with her...' Mal thought to himself as he took another gulp of his coffee.

Mal wanted to try and re-establish whatever there was left of the sister he knew and cared about, but whatever happened to Cassie while she was at the Academy must have really made her try and watch out of where her loyalty went...even if it meant not trusting her own flesh and blood.

* * *

**A/N**: And I live! I do apologize for the long wait. I didn't mean to be in hiatus, since my life has been a bit hectic lately. So, with that, I leave you with this chapter. Don't forget to review!


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